Manage your subscription

Physics: Are we nearly there yet

CLIMBING mountains in search of an awe-inspiring view can be a disappointing experience. Too often, the peak seems forever out of reach, always disappearing over the next crest. It’s a feeling that must be shared by physicists, who have spent much of the last century trudging up a seemingly endless slope in search of truly cosmic vistas. It is proving a long and difficult climb.

There have been some tantalising glimpses of the summit along the way. In the late 1980s, physicist and writer Paul Davies persuaded a team of top-flight physicists to describe what they could …